How do political factors affect the situation in Somalia?

Somalia is a tremendously complicated issue, but I'll try
to do it some justice here. Somalia is a failed state, and the existing "government" is
wrought with corruption. Because of the lack of infastructure and utter absence of law
and order, the international community is hesitant to invest in the Somalian economy.
There are few legitimate jobs and the jobs that are avalible don't pay well. To that
end, people are desperate. Because of they are desperate, they resort to any means
nessisary to survive (this usually means acts of piracy). The international community
obviously heavily disaproves of piracy, and it is techinically a violation of
international law but until Somalia can restore its economic health it is going to be
stuck in its present situation.

The international community
has not shunned Somalia entirely though, but it is hesitant to give Somalia aid after
Somalian pirates attacked the Maersk Alamaba (that was bringing aid to the horn of
Africa). In a sense, the Somalian pirates "bit" the hand that fed
them.

Political instibility within Somalia results from a
lack of economic producticity, which as I mentioned earlier, isn't going to subside any
time soon. Because of the Somalian economic situation, the Somalian government is unable
to even perform basic functions and as a result the nation is
detirorating.

This information is based on a reading from
CQ's "Contemporary Cases in Foreign Policy" edited by Ralph G. Carter. 4th
Edition.